The Labour Party's record in government was disastrous. In the years 1995 to 1997 a Labour Party Minister for Finance, Deputy Quinn, raised the health spend by just £400 million. Two years ago he made the startling admission that his failure to heed concerns expressed regarding the future of our health service had led to many of the difficulties which we now face. Just over six years ago, when there was a different Government in office, concerns about the future of the medical professions, particularly nursing, were communicated to both the Government and the Opposition. Certain predictions were made about the changes that would occur, especially with regard to the number who would enter the nursing profession and the availability of well motivated and qualified people. A college of nursing was established in my health board area and I had the honour of presenting a second group of graduates with their certificates last Thursday. On 21 March 2001 Deputy Quinn said about the concerns expressed, "I confess I did not listen to those voices at the time as well as I might have, and the problems the Minister for Health and Children now has are, in part, related to that." He was not alone. His colleague in government, Deputy Noonan, then Minister for Health—